The Insulting Poison Of Corporate Video Games

I’m not angry, Anthem. I’m just deflated. Yes, I know the phrase usually has something here about being disappointed but… are we? Is anyone? REALLY?

Did anyone seriously think Anthem was going to be the next big Bioware IP? Something that was worth sacrificing Mass Effect for, and a game that would singlehandedly restore not only our faith in the future of the developer, but retroactively make us view the likes of Mass Effect 3’s ending, Dragon Age Inquisition’s aimlessness and Mass Effect Andromeda’s everything as a hiccup, rather than a series of cardiac arrests?

Of course not. We KNEW this was a mess from day one. Because of course it was.

Anthem isn’t a one-off, it’s a tipping point. The perfect example of a corporate, money-focused mentality infecting a process otherwise routed in creativity, to the point where many are now actively fearing for Bioware’s future.

Anthem is not so much a video game as a playable spreadsheet. Do this, this and this in areas A, B and C, then look to columns X, Y and Z for the result. I’m not saying it’s devoid of merit, but there’s a visible coldness to its execution that is IMPOSSIBLE to ignore.

To dovetail into another medium for a second, prog metal virtuoso and all-round legendary human being Devin Townsend once described the insight he was given into pop music when he sat down with Nickelback's production team, discovering that exact algorithms and consumer data governs upcoming hit singles.

“Put this chord progression here, this vocal woah-oh here and use this overall song arrangement” - everything could be pre-thought out, to the point where executives can guarantee different songs sell in the Summer or the Winter.

And the worst part? They were right.

Cont.